The free concerts, to be held at Holy Name Monastery and Saint Leo Abbey Church, feature Gabriel Fauré’s ‘Requiem,’ which is a powerful affirmation of eternal life after death.
The community is invited to Saint Leo University’s spring concerts featuring Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem and other works at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 3. Faure’s Requiem owes its roots to the Christian faith and was written for choir and orchestra. It often is performed in Catholic churches. The Requiem features a shorter text version of funeral rite and the Catholic Mass for the Dead in Latin, which was used prior to the Second Vatican Council.
It is fitting that the Saint Leo University performances of Fauré’s Requiem will take place in sacred spaces: The 4 p.m. concert will be at the Benedictine Sisters of Florida’s chapel at Holy Name Monastery, 12138 Wichers Road, St. Leo, FL 33574. The monastery is across from the university, off of County Road 52. The 7 p.m. concert will be held at the Saint Leo Abbey Church, 33601 County Road 52, St. Leo, FL 33574. Parking is available in the university parking lots.
The concert will feature the Saint Leo Chamber Singers performing the Requiem and some guest instrumentalists also have been invited to play. The Saint Leo Singers (all women) will perform two Psalm settings. The String Ensemble will perform shorter pieces (Ave Verum, Mozart, and Spring, Vivaldi), and the Jazz Ensemble is performing an original student arrangement by music major Cameron McLaughlin.
Saint Leo’s spring concerts are free and open to the public, but donations to the Saint Leo Music Program are appreciated. Donations may be made at https://www.onthestage.tickets/saint-leo-university/campaigns/music-and-arts-fundraiser-3183.
Honoring Our Deceased
Faure's much-loved setting of the Requiem Mass is a powerful affirmation of eternal life after death. The university’s performances of it is in honor of the many lives lost in the Middle East and Ukraine this year in addition to beloved family members of those in our Saint Leo community: the father of Dr. Heather R. Parker, dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Allied Services; the husband of Dr. Cynthia Selph, associate professor of music and music ministry and director of the Music Department; and the father of Chris Romeo, voice instructor.
For More Concert Information
Those who have questions or would like more information, may contact Dr. Chantelle MacPhee, chair of Language Studies and the Arts, chantelle.macphee@saintleo.edu.
Requests for accommodations can be made by emailing Section504@saintleo.edu.
For more information, visit saintleo.edu/accommodations.
Music Degree Offering
In Fall 2023, Saint Leo began offering a music major, building on the success of the minor in music and based on prospective students’ interest in pursuing a music degree. The focus of the Bachelor of Arts in music is in four areas — music education, commercial music, church music, and community music.
For more information about enrolling in Saint Leo’s Bachelor of Arts in music, email admissions@saintleo.edu or call (800) 334-5532.